Maddy_Dray_B#2_"Don't Ask" Showdown Looms in Senate This Week

Name: Maddy D
Posting Number 2
Period: D
Topic: Civil Rights
Title: "Don't Ask" Showdown Looms in Senate This Week
Writer: Mark Thompson
Publication Date: November 28, 2010
Publication Name: CNN
Length: 722
Article: http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010/11/28/dont-ask-showdown-looms-in-senate-this-week/
and http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/11/30/dadt.discharges/index.html

Summary: “Don’t ask, don’t tell” is a policy that restricts all openly bisexual service members or applicants from taking a part in the United Sates military. President Obama has put much effort into allowing openly gay people serve in the US military and for the past forty days no members have been taken out of the military for this reasoning. This is much improved from last year when they averaged to take out around eight troops each week all because they were openly bisexual. Some people along with more Republican politicians believe that this policy should stay because it is not acceptable to put the other members of the miliatary’s high standards of order, attitude, and discipline at risk. On the other side of things, a Democratic political talked about how bisexual members have been doing US military service for more than decades now and there has never been problem or challenge, and the sexuality of the members obviously does not change the outcome or ranking of the United States army because it is still top in the world. Many also state how it is a possible threat to fire perfectly good troops for the sole reason of them being bisexual. In other words, it is hurting the US military to take away these troops and people begin to question them why it is worth it put other members of the army along with the whole nation in danger just to follow the old rule that openly bisexual people are not allowed to take a part in the US military. Many also think that anyone who is willing to die for our country and is putting themselves out their in such risk, should be able to fight and it really should not matter what their sexual preference. It has been put out their that although the US military is defending a democracy this does NOT mean it is democracy. Meaning the service members really should not have the right to make this decision, it should not be let all up to them, but it should be chosen by the US government as a whole.

Conclusion: Now, if things go as the Senate and Pentagon leaders want them to, then the taking away of this 17 year lasting policy will happen within the next week, which would be moving very rapidly. This would mean the hundreds of service members discharged each year would come to an end, and all those great members who were taken out for being openly bisexual could be let back to help defend the country once again. This has been controversial for a long time now, and with the rapid decision making that the government has been making lately, things could end sooner than expected!